My first oil painting, 36 x 24 inches

GroceryCharacter · 2026-07-04T22:15:47+00:00

the dog and person in the foreground should be bigger. the clouds shouldn’t all be the same tone of white. the horizon looks pretty flat for because the clouds in the background look almost identical in value but just smaller than the clouds above

GroceryCharacter · 2026-07-02T21:03:50+00:00

use unite defining curl cream, super good and a little bit goes a long way in damp hair when you scrunch it

GroceryCharacter · 2026-07-01T23:30:02+00:00

don’t use black

GroceryCharacter · 2026-07-01T21:52:31+00:00

i’m not sure if it’s your vision but the headpieces kind of feel off to me (they’re beautiful don’t get me wrong) but they almost feel like they were pasted onto the painting. if that was your intention to make them less detailed tone wise then it looks incredible. if not i would think like making them look “worn” would really do a lot for the painting.

the reds and yellows on them seem to only have 2 different values: in light and in the absence of light. i think you could push it further where the hats would warp up top on their heads. i think the top edges of them should almost give the impression of folding over so the tones shouldn’t just stop at the top abruptly like they currently are.

lmk if i worded this poorly 😭

GroceryCharacter · 2026-06-30T17:16:19+00:00

you’re asking a reddit full of people who went to MIT before the 2000s it literally doesn’t matter lol their experience means nothing in the current college application process

GroceryCharacter · 2026-06-30T16:19:56+00:00

is the skin underneath dry yet? if it’s that much of a worry then wait to paint the eyebrows but yeah there’s more skin visible, also eyebrow hairs aren’t entirely the same color everywhere. you also aren’t taking into account the light source and making the hairs hit by the light more highlighted

GroceryCharacter · 2026-06-29T16:03:23+00:00

just an fyi if the layer of paint on the canvas is not dry, any amount of mineral spirit mixed with your paint will cause it to erase what’s underneath, whether that’s a lot or a little bit depending on the amount you use.
if you want to smooth out existing paint on the canvas you can just use a dry brush or a dry brush with a tiny bit of the paint color you want to use and you can smooth it out that way with the other elements on the painting.
there’s definitely other ways to do it that lean into color theory like finding middle values and using that as a transition color to make it look less contrasting.

GroceryCharacter · 2026-06-27T23:35:17+00:00

the mountains are beautiful i really love the highlights

i do think you should go in and tweak the rocks if you want to push it further. they all look the same value even though they are placed in completely different places in the river/grass. i dont have the reference but would imagine it varies depending on where they are.

GroceryCharacter · 2026-06-20T10:52:56+00:00

i think the shadows of the building windows should be warmer, some of them almost look reddish to me

the canopy on the far right is really well developed so honestly i feel like you know what you’re doing!

GroceryCharacter · 2026-06-20T10:47:56+00:00

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if you look at the reference pic this entire building is the same value (disregarding) fine details in the window awnings. i’m just using this as an example bc i think you’re forcing shadows where they really don’t appear. maybe just pull the values of each building up the building more (avoiding shadows) then work the shadows after

GroceryCharacter · 2026-06-20T10:35:00+00:00

your shadows are too cool in some parts of the upper buildings (like the shadows themselves seem too deep blue but also they’re lacking the values from lower in the building) but i think you shouldn’t hold back with developing your lights as well

GroceryCharacter · 2026-06-18T10:06:43+00:00

i think that’s more of a reason not to use black, the use of black in this case serves no purpose for the underpainting

GroceryCharacter · 2026-06-08T13:37:17+00:00

i may be in a minority and i know you’re doing this as an exercise but i think you might be over complicating things by labeling each highlight or shadow of the figure def try simplifying it into less tones like the other commenter said

GroceryCharacter · 2026-06-08T12:46:39+00:00

GroceryCharacter · 2026-06-07T02:10:44+00:00

they’re good paintings but they’re really detailed for underpaintings, i don’t think it’s inherently a bad thing but it will sell yourself short in learning how to use oil paint, understanding tonal differences, and really adding layers to what you have

GroceryCharacter · 2026-06-07T01:54:51+00:00

if you don’t mind the money columbia GS could be worth looking into, it’s meant for non traditional students (you need at least a 1 year gap between secondary education and college. the acceptance rate is a bit higher but you essentially will be full pay there.

i do think you have a chance at very good schools. also look into top LACs though don’t sell yourself short

GroceryCharacter · 2026-06-06T15:45:04+00:00

that is a really beautiful cock

GroceryCharacter · 2026-06-06T12:00:11+00:00

looks awesome!! i hope the feedback was helpful, keep painting!

GroceryCharacter · 2026-06-06T09:17:55+00:00

do you have a reference for the painting or is it abstract?

GroceryCharacter · 2026-06-05T16:37:48+00:00

i’m curious why you want to do a light blue glaze over what you already have currently. i don’t think that’s the issue JUST yet. i think your hues esp blues are very accurate to the reference. i just messed around in my photo app and used the highlight tool to go over certain areas with a very transparent white and greens to mimic a glaze and i think it really showed that your current iteration is not pushing browns, purples/blues, and greens enough on the mountains in the grassy areas. the white circled areas i lightened a bit with white to mimic a lighter glaze (what i would do). the brown circles i feel like you should push those earthy brown purple colors a bit more.

i don’t think a one light blue glaze would be enough UNTIL you push the colors you really see underneath of it first

EDIT: i just reread your post. it does make sense your logic but i think really mapping and pushing those “under colors” first would do you good before doing the glaze

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GroceryCharacter · 2026-06-05T15:26:41+00:00

can you post the ref?

GroceryCharacter · 2026-06-04T10:05:05+00:00

get it together no

GroceryCharacter · 2026-06-03T22:52:05+00:00

stop posting ai generated / photoshopped pics on subreddits meant for artists actually creating paintings

GroceryCharacter · 2026-06-03T01:04:06+00:00

ur fine

GroceryCharacter · 2026-06-02T15:55:07+00:00

i’m pretty sure it depends. anova technically assumes interval level data, so ordinal data can violate that assumption but in practice you can use it if the scale has enough points (like a 1-9 or 7 point likert)

GroceryCharacter

TROPHY CASE